Why Getting A Good Night’s Sleep Isn’t As Easy Anymore

Erratic Schedules. Daily stressors. Gadgets everywhere.

Our daily lives have evolved and it’s having an effect on our ability to get enough of the number one most important source of recharge: sleep.

Eight hours can seem like a marathon length to strive for, and even if we manage to maintain shut eye for that long, it might not be a deep enough sleep to leave us feeling properly rested. This can affect several parts of our daily life, including mood and performance at work.

So how do we start making a serious effort to get better in bed?

There are a few ways to start getting both your mind and body ready to shut down for the evening. Start by setting a bedtime and sticking to it. It sounds childish, but the fact of the matter is that our bodies can’t adjust to an erratic schedule. By sticking to a daily bedtime our bodies will naturally begin the process of getting ready for bed because you’ve conditioned it to.

Another really important step is keeping your eyes away from electronics at least an hour before bedtime. The blue light emitted from devices, like computers and smartphones, can disrupt our body’s ability to go to sleep. Even the many “night modes” on devices that claim to decrease the amount of blue light emitted aren’t enough. Keep your eyes away from screens as you wind down.

This last one might seem obvious, but make your bed exclusively a sleep zone. That means no working, watching TV, surfing the internet, or any other activities that aren’t sleeping (well, maybe one other activity…). This is one way to start putting your mind at ease and getting it ready to go to sleep the same way your desk or office might make your mind ready to focus on work.

If setting aside your anxiety and swirling thoughts about the day and what’s coming tomorrow is harder than it seems, there might be another way to help settle your psych down: Hemp-oil extracts. Cannabidiol, or CBD, interacts with our body’s endocannabinoid system, which works in tandem with other system to assist our ability to maintain homeostasis. One of the ways it does this is by supporting our natural ability to cope with stress triggers and reduce potential sources of anxiety. CBD has the potential to assist in keeping our mind at ease and support our efforts to settle down for a solid eight hours of sleep every night.